"He just freaked out of nowhere?" 

     Bruce leaned forward when Clint rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I guess. One second, Tash and I are arguing over whether I should drive him back to his house, and the next he's screaming and crying like a lunatic." Clint ran a hand over his face. "I don't understand him. He's supposed to be an asshole."

     Bruce frowned thoughtfully. "Did you make it to his house?"

     "Obviously," Clint drawled. "I dropped the kid off and drove away before Natasha could say anything."

     "Clint..." Bruce shook his head disapprovingly. He adjusted his glasses at the guilty look on his friend's face. 

     "What was I supposed to do?" he shouted. 

     "Supposed to do about what?" 

     Bruce sat up straighter as Steve and Bucky joined their table. Their arms were loaded with snacks and Bruce held back a snort. The two jocks plopped down in the empty seats and began munching. Bruce shook his head softly and kicked Clint's leg. The boy scowled and rolled his eyes. "Stark," he muttered. 

     Bucky tensed. "Is he bothering you? Either of you?" Bruce moved to speak, but Bucky was on his own little tirade. "I swear if that little asshole did something to-"

     Steve placed a hand on Bucky's arm to silence the boy. He flashed him a warm smile. "Let them speak, Buck."

     Bucky sulked and chewed violently on his potato chips. Bruce cleared his throat and shifted. "Uh, no he hasn't done anything. Well, he has," Bucky raised an eyebrow, "but it wasn't bad!" Bruce implored. 

     Clint sighed. "What Brucie's trying to say is that Stark is being a pain in the ass because he's being...weird."

     "That really isn't keeping me from bashing his head in," Bucky growled around his food.

     "Bucky, stop!" Bruce hissed. "Tony hasn't done any harm." Bucky narrowed his eyes and Bruce averted his gaze. "Recently."

     "You're on a first-name basis with him?" Bucky snapped. Bruce huffed and crossed his arms. "C'mon Brucie..."

     "I was forced to give him a ride home because of Tasha last night," Clint continued. "I don't know what happened, but he just started going crazy. Nat said it was a flashback because his mom died in a car crash. I just want to know why it happened."

     Bruce remembered the day. The world had mourned for Maria Stark for months. He hadn't understood the reason for the global grieving, but it probably had to do with the infamous Stark family name. True, he had felt bad for Tony, but he wasn't close to Maria or kept track of everything she did, and he hadn't been as close to the boy at that time. He only knew the bare-bones facts about her life, stuff you would find on Wikipedia. She had a foundation that prospered due to the family name, she helped Howard with Stark Industries, and she loved her son. She was the perfect mother. That's all he really needed to know. If she wasn't a scientist then she wasn't important in his eyes. It felt wrong to think like that, but he had priorities. Worrying about Tony's deceased mother wasn't one of them.

     "Well, flashbacks can be triggered by numerous things. Do you remember anything you said? Anything you did? What the environment like?"

     Clint leaned back in his chair and groaned. "Uh...it was snowing hard and ice was starting to form on the sidewalk. When Stark sneaked into my car, I argued with Natasha." Clint pressed his palms into his eyes. "She said to be hospitable and I replied..." Clint mussed his hair in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts. "Something along the lines of 'Stark all over my back seat', I think. I was just trying to get him out of my car."

     Steve hummed. "Maybe that was it." Clint removed his hands from his eyes. "Think about it. If his mother was in a car crash she was, in essence-"

     "All over the back seat," Bruce finished. He swallowed back the acid in his throat. "And he was in the crash as well, right? So 'Stark all over my back seat' could've been a trigger."

     "Wasn't it snowing that day too?" Bucky grumbled, flicking drops of his milkshake off the straw.

     "Tasha said something about that. Why didn't I pay attention?" Clint groaned. 

     "It's alright. You couldn't have known," Steve comforted. 

     "Tasha probably did. She knows everything." Clint held his head in his hands. "Oh, she'll never let me live this down."

     "You're right." Bruce jumped in his seat, almost falling onto the ground. Natasha slinked out of the shadows and sat on Clint's armrest. Steve and Bucky shared a look of amusement and awe. Natasha cut her eyes to him. "I won't let you live this down. You should've known better." Natasha faced the others while Clint frowned. "I've been investigating him for weeks. Something is not right. Will you help me find out?"

     Bruce nodded. "Of course," he replied. 

     "But Stark is-"

     "A child," Natasha snapped. Steve and Bucky slouched in their seats. "You do not have to help, but if I find either one of you making his life worse there will be hell to pay. You as well, Clinton."

     Clint wrinkled his nose at his full name. "Yeah, yeah. We get it, Nat. We'll leave Stark alone if he leaves us alone. You and Brucie can play detective or whatever."

      Natasha nodded and stood off the armrest. She sashayed out of the study/break room with a finality that sent a chill down the boys' spines. Bruce gathered his things and scrambled to follow her with a quick goodbye to the others. Natasha glanced at him and smirked. 

     "We have work to do."

[--]---][---[--]

     Tony blinked blearily when the bell rang. His eyes peeled open and crust caked his eyelids. He must've been sleeping longer than he planned. He reached under his hoodie and his turtleneck to finger the rough bandages on his torso. He relished the slight pain he coaxed from his healing body. He winced and pulled his hand away after a couple of ministrations. The teacher was tapping their foot by the door and frowning deeply. Tony hoisted himself and his belongings away from the desk and out of the classroom. 

     He yawned and stretched, hissing in pain when his injuries flared. He rubbed his chest and swallowed shallow breaths to try and relieve the pain from his bruised ribs. He held an arm around them protectively and he walked through the halls. He gritted his teeth as he straightened his back. His torso flared in pain, but he ignored it until it dwindled to a numb ache. He was used to this; he could get through the pain. 

     Tony placed his warm cheek on the cool surface of his locker. Students milled around on their way to the canteen and Tony sighed. The dull hunger pains have reduced to nothing as his stomach shrinks. He doesn't know why he can't bring himself to eat lately. That tuna fish sandwich he had on Friday made him feel heavy, weighted to the ground. Howard was correct in thinking he was getting chubby. Tony pinched his middle, grimacing at the roll between his fingers. He should stop eating so much.

     Howard hasn't bothered to order the help to buy groceries in months. Is that wrong? Is that some form of neglect? Tony can't bring himself to think that hard. All he knows is that his disappearing act from the canteen is going to keep happening. Now he has two reasons: running from the student body and avoiding the food his body craves. Tony can survive on the little morsels that are around the house. He doesn't need to bother Howard and he can lose some weight. It's a win-win. Howard would be proud of him for thinking like this. 

     Tony started toward the front of the school in need of fresh air, his sneakers squeaking on the tile floors with each step. He contemplated on going out the back, but his weak limbs couldn't handle that walk at the moment. He grunted when his body collided with another. He blinked dazedly and pulled himself to his feet. He frowned at the sight of Justin Hammer massaging his shoulder. Did it really hurt that much, he thought dryly. 

     "Hey, Hammerhead. How's it hanging? Still pining after my affection?" he teased. 

     Justin turned beet red and scowled heatedly. "Piss off, Stark."

     Tony clucked. "Now, is that any way to treat the apple of your eye?" Justin's fingers twitched. Tony continued to bait him, barely concealing his laughter at the deep color of Justin's refrained anger. His blonde hair was askew and his face was turning a deep purple. "You're starting to look a little blue in the face. You know what? I think it's your color." Justin was trembling, but Tony was deep in his own world of sass and bluntness that he didn't see the fist until it knocked into him.

     Tony sputtered and coughed on the ground. He wiped a hand across his mouth, smearing his knuckles with his own blood. Tony snickered. "I'm charging you with abuse, Hammerhead. That's not playing fair," he sang. "We're not the violent type of couple."

     Justin snarled and grabbed Tony by the collar of his shirt. "I think that's up for debate, Stark. You've really been pissing me off lately." He hurled him against the lockers, one hard lock digging into his back. 

     Tony gasped, coughing harshly as his injuries were jostled. He wrapped his arms behind Justin's neck and smirked. "If this is what you wanted, you could've asked." Tony cackled and made to push Justin away.

     Hammer grabbed his wrists and slammed Tony into his knee. Tony jerked, swallowing down his vomit as he focused on breathing. He kept his coy smirk on, but he couldn't hide the slight panic in his eyes. Hammer nodded curtly. "Learn when to shut your mouth, Stark. You might be a playboy or whatever garbage the media spews about you, but no one really wants you. It's just a reputation boost." Tony bit back a whimper when Justin punched him in the ribs. "It's time I put you in your place, Stark."

     Tony coughed feebly with his smirk still intact. "Ha-Hammerhead, I'm above you in every way. You can't even reach my place."

     Justin snarled and threw him to the ground. Tony coughed into his palm and tried to stand, but Justin pulled his ankle to yank him back. His face exploded in pain and he spat out the intruding blood. Hammer's foot twisted into his stomach and Tony's eyes widened. "Seriously, Hammerhead. I get it. I'm garbage. You don't have to beat it into me. Can't we resolve this peacefully as usual?"

     Hammer brought his foot down on Tony's chest. Tony flailed under his hold, wheezing and trembling under his legs. Tony could feel his ribs giving way to Justin's abuse. He couldn't afford to break them again. He twisted his body, ignoring the pain attacking him from all sides, and somehow kicked Justin away. Tony scrambled to his feet and bolted for the front doors to the school. He skidded to a stop when the doors began to open.

     "Ah, so wonderful to be back in the building of learning," a voice boomed. 

     Tony glanced back at Hammer and saw the confusion and panic on his face. He started when Hammer ran toward him, wild manic in his eyes. Tony yelp was muffled when Justin dragged him around the corner and away from the doors. Hammer placed his hand over Tony's mouth and pressed his flush against the wall. Tony could feel the heat radiating off of Hammer's body and he resisted the urge to gag. Tony struggled weakly against Hammer's hold. Foreboding footsteps sounded as the doors opened. Tony tried to see who was coming and if it'd be worth it to yell for help. Hammer paled and Tony blinked. Was it a teacher?

     "Glad to have you back buddy. We missed you. How was Norway? Is your brother doing well?" 

     Tony knew that voice. Bruce was talking with someone. He didn't have time to think whether or not that someone might try helping Hammer beat him senseless. He was too focused on getting away from the boy. Tony bit down with enough force to cause Hammer to yelp. His attacker pulled his hand away and Tony snarled, "Get off of me!" 

     Hammer's eyes flicked around the corner and he shoved Tony into the wall before speeding away. Tony let out a shaky breath right before his knees buckled and he slid to the ground. His torso felt puffy and crunchy and he couldn't tell where the pain ended or began. He buried his face in his knees and shivered. Tony peeked through his arms. He was at school. There are blue and white tiles. Red lockers and black locks. Fluorescent lights blinked and the smell of cheap disinfectant wafted up to his nose. He was at school. 

     His ribs twanged and suddenly he was spiraling, tumbling through memories he had tried to bury in the deep depths of his mind. 

[--]---][---[--]

      Bruce considered himself a simple person. Give him food, a lab, and ten hours to himself and he'd call it heaven. He's easy to please. He also considered himself to be very intelligent. He could diffuse radioactive nuclei or calculate the mass-energy conversion of stable nuclei in minutes. And he took pride in his budding skill of being able to read others due to practicing with Natasha. He obviously had much to work on if he couldn't see that Tony was hurting so badly. 

     He'd make it up to him now. Bruce sighed. If he could find him. 

     "Are you sure he's not in here?" Bruce hated making Natasha repeat herself, but he was anxious. Tony could've come into the canteen before them and left or he was still in the room sitting at a table. Bruce picked at the salad he bought and bit his lip. 

     "I'm sure," she snapped. "I have been watching him much longer than you, Brucie. I know when he's around. Plus, he never comes in the canteen anymore."

     Bruce slumped in his chair. He pushed the salad away, his appetite managing to allude him. Natasha raised a thin eyebrow and prodded her own food. Her green eyes trailed over him before she settled her attention on Clint. 

     "You two were serious," Bucky muttered. Bruce tilted his head. "You're serious about Stark? You want to help that little shit?"

     "Yes," Bruce ground out. "Really, Buck, he's nice once you get to know him."

     Bucky crossed his arms. "So now you know him?"

     Bruce's ears heated up. "I-I mean, I don't know him. We only talk in Chemistry and I haven't texted him at all." Bucky gave him a knowing look. "But that doesn't mean I can't help Nat!"

     Steve set down his soda. "He's right, Buck. Let Brucie do what he wants. If he wants to help Stark Junior, let him help Stark Junior. We'll be here if it backfires."

     Bruce's face twisted in annoyance. Bucky half-shrugged. "Okay, okay. I just don't understand. If you don't know him and you're not friends, why do want to help him so badly?"

     Bruce looked away from Bucky's sad eyes. He was doing this on purpose. The only time Bucky seemed to allow any emotion seep through was to manipulate the others. And damn it worked. He wiped off his glasses before shakily placing them back on his nose. Natasha was speaking quietly with Clint. Shoot, he couldn't ask her for help. "Uh...well..." His phone buzzed. Bruce nearly dropped the device in his frenzy to fish it out of his pocket. Bucky sighed and returned to eating in silence. Bruce glanced at the footballer before bringing his attention to his phone. Bruce blinked and re-read the text. His brows shot up and he scrambled to get out of his seat. 

     Natasha sat up straighter. "What's up?"

     Bruce beamed. "Thor's back! I'm just going to meet him out front."

     "In the middle of the day? That buffoon," Clint teased. "He could've at least waited until tomorrow."

     Bruce huffed and strode out of the canteen. He almost ran to the doors in his haste to meet his friend. He furrowed his brow and looked around. He cocked his head to the side and listened closely. He was starting to hear things. He took a step to the door, but it was starting to open. Bruce bounced on his toes and pulled the door the rest of the way. 

     "Ah, so wonderful to be back in the building of learning," Thor's voice boomed. The muscular boy was paler than his usual creamy pallor. His hair hung loosely on his shoulders and shined with grease. His short beard and small mustache were darker and barely trimmed. He looked extremely stressed. Bruce's smile wavered. Thor smiled down at him and clapped his large hand on his shoulder. His muscles rippled under the red long sleeve he sported and Bruce stumbled forward. 

     "Glad to have you back buddy. We missed you. How was Norway? Is your brother doing well?"

     A shadow passed over his face and Bruce frowned at Thor's pout. "Loki is adjusting to my absence slower than we would like. My visit was to assure my brother that I was not abandoning him. Yet, he reacted with a negative response. I am confused about what to do about him. Mother and Father have tried to calm him, but nothing seems to work."

     "It could be a phase," Bruce chimed. He shrugged and Thor's thick eyebrows furrowed. "Teenagers go through them all the time. He'll grow out of it."

     Thor sighed. "That I hope will happen soon, friend Bruce."

    Bruce chuckled at his friend's manner of speaking. The formal tongue always made him laugh. Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but Thor suddenly stood straighter. "What?" Bruce paused. "Do you hear something?"

     Thor held a finger to his lips. They stood in complete silence until Thor grasped Bruce's hand and headed left. Their group has always had keen senses, though Bruce's always seem to be lacking. Thor's time as a hunter for his family kept his senses sharp and at the ready. Bruce stayed quiet as his friend led him a little way down the hall and to an indent in the wall. Bruce gasped behind his hand. There was Tony Stark, curled up against the wall as he shook like a leaf. Thor dropped his hand and knelt down. Bruce fumbled with his phone and texted Natasha. He joined Thor's side and sent him a helpless look. Bruce is supposed to know what to do, subconsciously he knows, but his mind is frazzled and frayed in a panic because this is the second time this has happened in front of him. This shouldn't be happening to Tony Stark. Tony Stark is supposed to be untouchable. He knows it's wrong to think like that but Natasha isn't here to take the lead and his mind is swimming. 

     Thor placed a large hand on Bruce's shoulder and smiled softly. "We must keep him company, yes? No one likes to be alone in times of need, right friend Bruce?"

     Bruce nodded stiffly. If this is a flashback instead of a panic attack, then touching him might spur a volatile reaction. Thor was right. They should keep him company. But the Norwegian hasn't been here in two months. He hasn't known Tony long enough to form an opinion on the boy. Bruce sighed. He's just a kid. Bruce collapsed against Thor. Looking at Tony showed how small the boy was. Bruce had thought he was just short but from this close, he looks...underfed. Bruce's eyes gazed over the slightly sunken cheeks, the bones jutting out of his wrists, and the sharp lines of his chin and nose. They settled on the dark bruise-like bags under the boy's eyes. 

     Bruce scoffed softly. Tony Stark eats. Tony Stark has a whole staff to feed him. He could have a high metabolism or a small appetite because Tony Stark is not being neglected. Bruce wanted to lean in closer, but his classmate was beginning to come to. Bruce and Thor shifted back slightly as awareness began to sink back into him. Tony's whole body shuddered before he picked his head up sharply. He breathed deeply and rubbed his eyes. Bruce blinked and glanced at Thor. "Tony..." he whispered. 

     Tony screamed, clutching his chest protectively as he scrambled back into the wall. He shook his head raptly and forced a breath from his nose. He rubbed his eyes again and ran a hand through his hair. Tony brought his brown eyes back to Bruce and he tilted his head. "Bruce?" he rasped. Bruce winced at the whisper before nodding. Tony shifted his eyes over to Thor and he pressed closer to the wall. "What do you guys want?" Tony laughed softly. "Or did you just come to watch?" Tony swept his arms around. "Well, I hope you enjoyed the show. Tickets are pretty expensive. If you'll excuse me." Tony clawed at the wall as he tried to stand on his wobbly legs. 

     Thor stepped forward to catch him and Tony struggled weakly. "Let me help, friend of Banner." Tony's eyes widened and his cheeks darkened, but he stopped his struggles. "Bruce, is the canteen in the same spot?" Bruce swallowed dryly. He blinked slowly and nodded. "Then we shall depart."

    Tony pulled on Thor's sleeve. "Whoa, I'm not hungry, big guy. Just," Tony looked around, "leave me in the bathroom."

     Thor chuckled deeply. "Nonsense." He grunted as he hoisted Tony into his arms, eliciting a tiny squeak. "My brother usually requires sustenance after such an episode. You need food as well." Thor picked up Tony's arms. "Look, your limbs are merely bone."

    Tony blushed and cradled his arm. "Fine, you can take me to the canteen. But you're not carrying me like this."

     "Very well." Thor gently shifted Tony until he was on his back. "Better?" he asked innocently. 

    Tony huffed and tried to wrap his arms around Thor's neck. Bruce snickered as he looked at his phone. "He's fine. Let's go, buddy."

     Thor smiled back at him before pointing forward. "Then onward! We shall quench our hunger in the canteen area!"